To be a fan of the cult movie, “The Boondock Saints,” means there are only a few things you wish for: A sequel and a chance to speak with a member of the cast. While the sequel is still in the early stages of heading to the set for filming, director Troy Duffy was kind enough to set aside some of his own time to speak with a member of “the Flock” about the upcoming movie, amongst other things.

“I saw you were in Massachusetts so I had to give you a call,” Troy said regarding my email.

Troy is a former Bostonian, but currently finds his home out in Los Angeles, California. He never believed his movie would be as popular as it is today. There are currently over 10,000 members of the fan group, dubbed “The Flock,” and they show off their love for the film through drawings, pictures, and through tattoos at TheBoondockSaints.com. To this day, there is not a bar Mr. Duffy can enter without at least one person recognizing him.

“I’m never tired of fans recognizing me in public,” said Troy. “You know they are true fans because if someone like Brad Pitt is in a bar, everyone knows who he is, but to know who I am would make you a true fan of the movie. My wife will even overhear other people in a bar talking about the film and she’ll go tell them that I was the director.”

For those who are unfamiliar with the film, it’s about two Irish Catholic brothers from South Boston who realize that if they rid the world of evil, along with their best buddy, the good in things may flourish. The film includes Sean Patrick Flanery, Norman Reedus, Willem Dafoe, and Billy Connolly. It is an action-drama packed with some of the best action scenes, gunfights, and one-liners ever. The only problem is that only a select few know of the movie.

The original film was created for theaters back in 1999. Unfortunately for Troy, the timing for the release of his film was during the Columbine school shootings. These events lead to the film never seeing the light of day in the U.S. due to the graphic nature. There were a few screenings in Canada theaters, but the film still was not available to the public. Any hardcore fan of the film at the time would have to order the Canadian version of the DVD, which was simply the R-rated version of the film, in order to see it at all.

Eventually “Blockbuster” came out with a “FOX” version of the film for VHS, but the members of the Flock craved more insight into the film. After a long wait, “FOX” finally released a DVD with commentary, deleted-scenes, and outtakes to a very reasonable price of $10. Still, the fans would learn Troy was cheated because the NC-17 footage was taken out in order to get the DVD released.

On the heels of the DVD release, came a shocking announcement on the website about a sequel in the works. Suddenly it was like “Willy Wonka” all over again as the factory, known as the mind of Troy Duffy, started producing ideas again, full-blast, but the gates stayed locked so no one could get in to see his secret formula. The rumor mill on the message board went crazy. Rumors about Dafoe not being part of the cast and whether the sequel would go to theaters or not were running rampant, but only Troy Duffy could answer the questions that flooded in every day.

“With Dafoe, it was a scheduling problem,” Troy said about Dafoe being unable to rejoin the cast. “He was doing a play over in London when I talked with him and he just was not ready to take in the information at the time.”

“This is actually going to be a history-making movie,” Troy boasted about the theater question. “It will be the first theatrical released sequel for a straight to video movie. We are going to try to get it in all the major markets.”

One of the big questions is if David Della Rocco will return as his Rocco persona in the sequel. Troy confirmed that the self-proclaimed “Funny Man” will have one, and only one, returning scene in the sequel. Other rumors Duffy put to rest are there will be no love interest whatsoever and the new character, Romeo, is not meant to be the ‘new Rocco,’ but simply a new character.

“I wrote the part of Romeo for my friend Clifton Collins Jr. [of ‘The Last Castle’ and ‘Traffic’],” said Duffy. “I think of a certain actor when I write my characters. I may not get that specific actor, but when we shot in Toronto I found a ton of great actors. I prefer to put new faces in than have a big star who won’t commit to the film.”

“As for the new FBI agent, I just saw her as a woman,” Duffy continued. “There is absolutely no love interest, so the Flock has no need to fear.”

Along with Collins, Marley Shelton joins the cast as FBI Agent Eunice Bloom. Shelton is most well known for her roles as Wendy Peppercorn in “The Sandlot” and Chloe in “Bubble Boy.” These two will not be the only new additions to the film. There will be the gunfights, action scenes, and classic lines that every fan will enjoy, but Troy has promised one other thing about the film.

“I want this sequel to blow the most hardcore fan away,” said Duffy. “The sequel is going to have a story that no one will see coming. It’s also the only thing I worry about. Even with the action the fans loved returning, this film is going to have a twist that no one will be prepared for.”

If you are a current, or future, fan of the movie and searching stores for “Saints” t-shirts, the place you need to go is the merchandise section of TheBoondockSaints.com. The Saints shop also has pea coats, rosaries, and shot glasses, among other things for you to show off your love for the film with. They just released a Rocco shirt which Troy, and Rocco himself, are very proud of.

“We got lucky with our t-shirt maker in Colorado,” said Duffy. “There are only three high quality presses and our guy managed to get one. It costs a lot more, but it’s worth it. We also plan to have a shirt for every character available eventually.”

The sequel is currently being planned to begin filming between now and spring in Toronto. Again, it is planned for a theatrical release along with a new NC-17 version DVD release of the first film. Troy is also trying to work a deal to get the first Saints into theaters for midnight screenings. “The Boondock Saints” is currently available on “Fox DVD” at stores for around $10.

On the Net: TheBoondockSaints.com.